HODGSON High School in Poulton recently launched a special scheme to combat bullying by appointing a team of anti-bullying "mentors".

Thirty six pupils, all aged 14-15, were taken for a day of training at Premier Bowl on Central Drive, Blackpool, as part of the school's second anti-bullying day.

Assistant head teacher Bill Allison said: "The school realises that bullying is a problem and like many other schools we are trying to introduce measures to solve the problem.

"The mentors will attempt to stop incidents of bullying in schools and have been trained to counsel pupils who have been victims of bullying." The training day at Premier Bowl involved various team building exercises and role play sessions, as well as a few relaxing games of bowling. It was led by John Higham, a professional training consultant who helped to run Lancashire County Council's Pupil Referral Service, which helped pupils with problems such as bullying.